Instilling Motivation in Students of All Ages

Monet PayneCommunity Manager

TakeLessons.com

My Story• Began taking lessons at age 4• Studying music at a collegiate level, I nearly gave up• Because my voice teacher believed in me, I am where I

am today

Topics

• Challenges of Motivation• Gotta Find My Purpose!• Setting Learning Goals• Practice Expectation Setting• Frustration = Instant Motivation Killer• Self Esteem• Our Goal• Motivation Challenge

Challenges of Motivation• Price is not the biggest reason for student

cancellation

•

Challenges of Motivation

• Teaching children– Shorter attention spans– Pushed by parents, sometimes against their own will

• Solutions– Keep it fun!

• Teaching games• Rewards

– Stickers– Toy chest

– Communicate with parents• Do everything you can to spark the child’s interest• If that does not work, be honest and open with their parents

Challenges of Motivation

• Teaching teens– May not think they need to practice– Not as self-disciplined as an adult and practicing is

not as easily monitored by parents– Concerned with coolness

• Solutions– Do your research based on the student questionnaire

• Have one of their favorite songs playing when they walk into your studio for the first time

• Discuss goals together– Do they want to be famous or be able to perform at an open

mic night?– Whatever it is, show them that you believe in them!

– Hold them accountable

Challenges of Motivation

• Teaching adults– Frustration experienced from

learning a new skill• #1 question: Am I too old for this?

– Nervous

• Solution– Still a child when it comes to

music• Help them let go of inhibitions• Alienation – don’t use big music

words!

Gotta Find My Purpose!

• Find out the students’ purpose– “What got you interested in (subject) lessons?”– Where do you want to be in 1 year? 5 years? 20

years?– Redirect this into a goal

• Ultimate goal:– Playing music → Passionate about music– Encourage them to attend a symphony concert, or go

to a musical that would inspire them• Help them to be aware of future opportunities

where they could utilize their new found talent– BIG Picture!

Gotta Find My Purpose!

• First lesson assignment: bring a visualization of what inspires them– Child: draw a picture– Teen: collage of how they want to see themselves– Adult: a ticket stub from a concert or a program from

a symphony

• Pump them up!

Setting Learning Goals

• Draw back of performance goals – Process vs. Product– Adult beginner– Perfectionist

• Skill development – Encourage the student to dedicate their practicing to

mastering a specific skill• Sight reading• Specific technique

– Student becomes fully engaged while practicing, as opposed to “putting in time”

Practice Expectation Setting

• Motivation and practicing go hand and hand

• Practice tool– Hold them accountable by tracking practicing

• Set clear expectations– Frequency– Notate specific assignments in the lesson

journal• What skill is it important to focus on this week?

Frustration = Instant Motivation Killer

• Give students the tools to combat frustration

• When you notice a student is getting frustrated– Stop to reassess the issue, then decide

whether to continue or switch activities– Change the way you and your students think

about making mistakes• Do you play music like you draw?• Draw outside the lines: improvisation

Self Esteem

• The TakeLessons Core Values as a chain reaction– Perseverance– Respect– Ownership Mentality– CANI

Our Goal

• To book with the best teachers– High retention– Marking lessons 12-14 hours– 17 different things that you are scored on

• Indicators of who to book with

– We want to help you• $$$$$ on Marketing• Expectation of you is that your retain your students

Motivation Challenge!

• $50 for good retention– Every student retained in the month of March is a

chance to win

• $50 for posting in the forums and posting your Craigslist Ad– Every time you post is a chance to win– New forum question: how can TakeLessons help you

retain your students?– To locate the forum:

• Dashboard Community Forums Just for Teachers Teacher to Teacher Student Motivation

Upcoming Webinars

• March 16, 7:30 am (California time)

• March 17, 7:30 am (California time)

• March 17, 3:30 pm (California time)

Q&A